Marco Paul's Voyages and Travels; Vermont by Jacob Abbott
page 18 of 145 (12%)
page 18 of 145 (12%)
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important account, a few hours afterward, as will be seen in the
sequel. The sailor went several times into the taverns on the way, in the course of the afternoon, to drink, until, at length, he became partially intoxicated. He felt, however, so much restrained in the presence of the passengers within the coach, that he did not become talkative and noisy, as is frequently the case in such circumstances; but was rather stupid and sleepy. In fact, no one observed that any change was taking place in his condition, until, at last, as he was coming out from the door of a tavern, where he had been in to get another drink, the driver said, "Come, Jack, you must get up with me now, there is another passenger to get in here." Marco, who was still in his seat, holding the reins of the horses, looked down, expecting that the sailor would make objections to this proposal,--but he found, on the contrary, that Jack, as they called him, acquiesced without making any difficulty, and allowed the driver to help him up. The new passenger got inside. Forester felt somewhat uneasy at having Marco ride any longer on the top, especially now that the sailor was going up too. But the coach was full. He himself was wedged into his seat, so that he could not get out easily. He knew, too, that two or three of the passengers were going to get out at the next stage, and so he concluded to let Marco remain outside until that time, and then to take him in again. Marco's admiration for the sailor was very much diminished when he saw how helpless he had rendered himself by his excesses, and how |
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